Water fountain bubbler



July 4, 1967 E. w. SCOTT 3,329,345

WATER FOUNTAIN BUBBLER Filed Aug. 27, 1965 WITN SSES INVENTOR W Eugene W. Scott.

- BY {Lam/r. I ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,329,345 WATER FOUNTAIN BUBBLER Eugene W. Scott, Columbus, Ohio, assiguor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Aug. 27, 1965, Ser. No. 483,128 Claims. (Cl. 239-24) This invention relates to a water fountain bubbler.

Current water cooler bubblers are typically arranged in either of two ways. One way is to locate the valve for the bubbler within the cooler cabinet below the top basin with the other bubbler components (i.e., the nozzle, the nozzle guard, and the bubbler valve operator such as a push-button) on top of the basin. The other way incorporates the valve and other components in an integral assembly mounted on the top of the basin.

The advantage of the first Way is that the likelihood of malicious tampering with the valve is reduced due to its relative inaccessibility. Further, with the valve within the cooler cabinet, the necessary mechanical linkage for alternatively operating the valve by hand, or by foot, is hidden in the cabinet from unauthorized persons.

The advantages of an integral assembly arrangement include compactness, reduced valve operator linkage, and ease of adjusting flow. However, the complete assembly arrangement has frequently been susceptible to tampering, and in some cases the construction has been of the character which has permitted the assembly to be rotated about its supply pipe connection so that the water stream is directed away from the basin and onto the floor. Further, the construction of these integral assemblies has usually been such that they do not lend themselves readily to adding foot pedal operation. In some cases where foot pedal operation is desired, there must be either a major change in the construction of the assembly, or the linkage to the foot pedal is exposed. Additionally, foot pedal operation sometimes requires the elimination of hand operation.

An object of this invention is the provision of a bubbler of the integral assembly character incorporating the bubbler valve in the assembly, but which substantially avoids the difliculties experienced with the prior integral assembly bubblers.

In accordance with the invention, the bubbler assembly includes a base portion housing the bubbler valve and provided with flow passages for conducting water from the point of supply through the valve to a nozzle outlet on the base, and a movable cover pivotally mounted on the top side of the base so that one portion of the cover guards the nozzle and the other portion can be depressed in lever fashion to operate the valve. The valve is recessed in the base with its actuating stem extending upwardly for engagement by the underside of the lever portion of the cover. The cover is retained on the base by means of a pivotal mounting at the top of the base, and a restraining link connecting the lever portion to the base. The restraining link holds the lever portion closely to the top side of the base to prevent malicious access to the underlying valve. The base of the assembly is adapted to be fastened to the cooler top basin at both the water supply connection and a spaced apart location to prevent turning the assembly. The separate fastener location may conveniently be the lower end of the same bore which receives the restraining link.

The base construction is arranged with the bore which receives the restraining link being adapted to also accommodate a link for connecting the device for foot operation alternatively with the hand operation. Since the valve is arranged to be actuated by a substantially vertical movement of the hand operated lever, the adaptation of the assembly for foot operation is facilitated. That is, the

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foot pedal need only be connected by a rod and link to the lever portion of the cover to obtain the alternate hand and foot operation without the elimination of either. This is in contrast to those types of assemblies designed for hand rotation to open the valve, and which pose substantial difiiculties in converting to up-and-down foot pedal operation. Further, the assembly lends itself to modification for foot pedal operation without encountering serious alignment and adjustment problems.

The invention will be described in some detail in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating a bubbler incorporating the principles of the invention by way of example, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of the base of the bubbler assembly mounted on the top plate of a water cooler, and with the cover in exploded relation;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, partly broken, side view, mostly in vertical section, of the bubbler assembly;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view corresponding to one taken along the line IIIIII of FIG. 2, this view illustrating the connection of the lower end of the restraining link to the base; and

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but illustrating the modifications made to adapt the bubbler assembly for alternate hand and foot operation.

The general external appearance of the bubbler structure is best portrayed in FIG. 1 where the bubbler base 10 is shown mounted on the top plate or basin 12 of a Watercooler, with the cover 14 shown in exploded relation to the base. To provide orientation for descriptive punposes, the left end of the assembly (i.e., the end' from which water issues from the nozzle 16) will be termed the front end, while the right end will be called the rear end.

The base 10 may be a bronze casting having those external surfaces visible to the user finished with chrome to enhance its appearance. The base is drilled and machined to provide internal passages and cavities which will be later described. The bottom face of the base seats on the top plate 12 of the water cooler. The top side of the base has the general shape of an inverted V and includes a front slope 20 mounting the nozzle 16 at the front edge, and an opposite slope 22 (sometimes termed the lever slope or 'face) underlying the lever portion of the cover 14. The opposite faces on the top side of the base are divided by the peak or apex generally designated 24.

The internal structure of the base is best seen in FIGS. 2 and 4. The .base is drilled from its bottom face 18 to provide a relatively large tapped bore 26 near its front end to receive a water supply fitting 28. Near the rear end of the base a relatively small second tapped bore 30, spaced from the water supply bore, is provided to receive a fastener such as a machine screw 32. The water supply bore and the fastener bore are substantially cen tered longitudinally, and a third small bore 34 is also provided in offset relation to the longitudinal center line. The supplementary fastener bore 34 is used in connection with the provision of foot pedal operation.

The cavities and bores drilled from the top side of the base include a single bore'36 in the front slope 20 to receive the nozzle 16, and several provided in the rear slope 22 below the lever portion 38 of the cover. The face of the rear slope 22 is substantially hidden from view by the lever portion 38 of the cover, and as best seen in FIG. 1 is provided with a peripheral rim 40 which is overlapped by the depending sides of the lever portion of the cover when the cover is mounted on the base. The rear slope has one large bore 42 drilled therein to provide a cavity to receive a cartridge valve 44, and the bottom end of this cavity is connected to the water supply bore 26 by one passage 46, and is connected to the nozzle bore'36 by another passage 48 so that the valve can control the flow of water through the base.

A second bore 50 is provided adjacent the heel end of the base, the axis of this second bore 50 being aligned with the axis of the smaller second bore 30 in the lower portion of the base. This second bore 50 accommodates a restraining link 52 securing the cover to the base with a lost motion connection. In certain cases the second bore also receives an additional link which extends to a remote foot pedal operator, an arrangement which will be later described in connection with FIG. 4.

The cartridge valve 44 is of known commercial type similar to those available from H and H Thermostats, Inc. of Cedar Grove, NJ as type 7-701. The cartridge currently preferred for incorporation into a bubbler assembly construction according to this invention includes an upwardly projecting plunger type actuator 54 biased by spring 56 to a position closing the valve, and which opens the valve upon being depressed by the lever portion 38 of the cover. This particular type of valve also includes flow adjusting means 57 (FIG. 1) recessed in the hollow plunger actuator, and accordingly easily accessible from a top position with the cover 14 of the bubbler assembly removed.

The cover 14 includes, in addition to the rear lever portion 38, a front portion 58 which serves as a guard reducing the possibility of user mouth contact with the nozzle. The cover 14 is also preferably a casting, and is provided with a cavity 60 on the underside of the lever portion. The cavity accommodates the valve actuator 54 and restraining link 52. The depending rim of the lever portion overlaps the rim 40 of the rear slope so that a finished appearance is provided, the operating parts underlying the cover are hidden, and sideways motion of the cover relative to the base is restricted.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the means for securing the cover to the base includes a pivotal fulcrum connection at the peak 24 of the base, and the restraining link 52 at the heel of the assembly. The pivotal fulcrum connection 13 formed by a forwardly-open slot 64 at the peak 24 of the base, and into which a transverse roll pin 66 in the cavity 60 is fitted when thecover is moved into assembled relation with the base.

The restraining link 52 connection may conveniently take the form of the closed strap having its top bight looping another transverse roll pin 68 extending across the rear end of the cavity 60, and with the bottom bight of thelink looping a setscrew-headed pin 70 extending diametrically across the second bore 50 at an intermediate location. As shown in FIG. 3, the set screw pin 70 preferably has an Allen wrench head, and is turned in sufficiently from the back side of the bubbler as it is usually approached by a user that is hidden from view of the user. The Allen wrench head in most cases precludes, as a practical matter, promiscuous removal of the setscrew pin which is the key element to gaining access to the operating parts hidden under the heel portion of the cover.

In assembling the cover and the base, the cover is moved relative to the base so that the peak roll pin 66 moves into the slot 64 with the toe of the cover depressed until the roll pin 66.is located in the slot. Then the cover heel portion is tilted downwardly so that the restraining link 52 descends into the second bore 50 in a position that the lower bight of the restraining link will be captured by the setscrew pin 70 when it is turned into place. The setscrew pin is located at a height relative to the length of the link that the cover is held closely over the rear slope but with enough give to permit the valve to assume a closed position. Thus, the operating parts in the cavity 60 of the cover are hidden from view and substantially inaccessible. By virtue of the peak slot 64 being forwardly-open only, the restraint of the link, and the engagement of the valve actuator with the cover, the roll pin 66 cannot become disengaged from the slot in the normal operation of the bubbler. The overlap of the cover n'm over the base rim 40 4.- restrains sideways motion and rotation of the cover relative to the base.

In the assembled relation of the cover to the base as shown in FIG. 2, the valve actuator at the top of its range of movement lightly engages the protuberance 72 on the underside of the cover. Upon depressing the heel of the cover 6 the cover pivots about the peak roll pin and the valve plunger is depressed to open the valve so that the water can flow through the base to the nozzle through the previously described passages. In this depressed position of the heel portion of the cover, the restraining link lower bight has moved down below the setscrew headed pin. Upon releasing the heel portion of the cover, the valve spring forces the cover back to the FIGURE 1 position.

In installing the bubbler assembly on the top plate of a water cooler or water fountain, a water supply pipe is turned into the supply port of the bubbler base and is connected inside the cabinet to other piping leading to a water source. If the bubbler is to be hand operated solely, the fastener 32 extending downwardly through the small second bore 30 into the basin plate 12 of the water cooler is installed from above. Accordingly, by virtue of the spaced fastening points, i.e., the supply pipe connection and the fastener 32, rotation of the bubbler relative to the top plate is prevented.

When foot pedal operation is to be provided in addition to the hand operation of the bubbler, the relatively small second bore 30 is drilled out to the full diameter as shown in FIG. 4, and additional link 74 is installed in encompassing fashion over the restraining link 52. The lower bight 76 of the longer link loops a hook end 78 of a foot pedal rod. The lower end of the rod is connected to a suitable foot pedal which may be depressed to cause the heel portion of the cover to be depressed through the connecting linkage, and thereby open the valve in the bubbler. Since the fastener 32 usually used for the hand operation has its space taken by the link 74, a supplementary fastener 80 is turned up into the base of the bubbler in the supplementary bore 34.

It will be appreciated from the description that the modification of the bubbler for foot pedal operation is simply accomplished without major revision in the construction of the bubbler, and with the up-and-down motion of the foot pedal accommodated as a simple exten- SIOIl of the up-and-down hand operation. The foot pedal attachment further is not subject to substantial misalignment problems of a nature requiring delicate adjustments, is hidden within the cabinet to preclude tampering, and does not interfere with the usual hand operation.

It will be further appreciated from the description that servicing and adjustment of the bubbler is facilitated by the structural arrangement according to the invention. Access to the bubbler valve may be had quickly and without removing cooler panels. The setscrew headed pin 70 is simply turned out to release the cover from the base. The flow adjustments may then readily and quickly be made, and the cover again mounted on the base. Mischievous tampering with the bubbler by those prone to such activity is as a practical matter precluded since such people typically do not have Allen head wrenches of the proper size available to obtain access to the top of the lever face of the base. If the bubbler is defective in a respect not readily remediable on the site, the entire bubbler assembly may be quickly and easily removed and replaced.

In addition to the structural and operational advantages afforded by a bubbler assembly according to the invention, the parts are so arranged that the exterior of the bubbler may be styled in a pleasing fashion. Also, the provision of nozzle guard and lever in an integral cover, with the guard portion tilting away from the water stream when the lever portion is depressed, yields an interestingly diiferent operational mode.

Since numerous changes may be made in the abovedescribed apparatus and difierent embodiments of the invention may be made without departing from the spirit thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.

I claim as my invention:

1. A water fountain bubbler comprising:

a base including internal passage means for conducting water supplied to said base to an outlet nozzle on said base;

a valve recessed in said base for controlling the flow of said water through said passage means, said valve including actuator means operable from the top side of said base;

a cover mounted on top of said base, said cover including a lever portion closely overlying said valve and movable to effect operation of said valve;

a nozzle-guard portion extending in cantilever fashion over said nozzle;

means pivotally mounting said cover on said top side of said base; and

means limiting movement of said lever portion upwardly from said top side of said base to substantially preclude malicious access to the top side of said base covered by said lever portion.

2. A bubbler according to claim 1 wherein:

said means limiting movement of said lever portion includes means connecting the underside of said lever portion to said base.

3. A water fountain bubbler comprising:

a base including a top side and a bottom side and internal passage means for conducting water supplied to said bottom side to an outlet nozzle mounted on one portion of said top side, the other portion of said top side including a first upwardly-open bore in communication with said passage means;

a valve located in said first bore, said valve including an upwardly-extending actuator;

an integral nozzle-guard and valve-operator cover pivotally mounted on said base between said one and said other portions of said top side, said valve-operator part of said cover closely overlying said actuator; and

means connecting said valve-operator part to said base to prevent tilting said cover to a degree affording malicious access to said other portion of said top side.

4. A bubbler according to claim 3 wherein:

said base includes a second bore extending generally downwardly through said base from said other portion of said top side;

said connecting means includes a first link having its top end fastened to the underside of said valve-operator part of said cover and extending down into said second bore for attachment of its other end therein.

5. A bubbler according to claim 4 wherein:

said second bore extends between said base top side and bottom side;

a second link is provided in said second bore, said second link having its upper end connected to said cover and its lower end connected to a remote operator located substantially below said base.

6. A water fountain bubbler adapted to be mounted on the top plate of a water cooler, comprising:

a base including a top side of generally inverted V-shape and a generally planar bottom side adapted to be mounted on said cooler top plate, said bottom side having a water inlet connection and a spaced apart bore, said base including internal passage means for conducting water from said inlet to an outlet nozzle located on one slope of said top side;

a cartridge valve mounted in said base to exert control on the flow of water through said passage means, said valve being recessed into said base from the other sloped face of said top side, said Valve including an actuator extending generally upwardly for actuation from above;

an integral nozzle-guard and valve-operator cover mounted on the top of said base with the Valve operator portion closely overlying said other sloped face and the guard portion extending outwardly over said one sloped face;

means pivotally mounting said cover generally at the peak of said top side; and,

first link means securing the underside of said valve operator portion of said cover to said base to limit upward movement of said valve operator portion to a position substantially preventing malicious access to said other sloped face underlying said valve operator portion.

7. A bubbler according to claim 6 including:

fastener means extending through the bottom end of said bore to secure said base against rotation about said Water inlet connection.

8. A bubbler according to claim 6 including:

a removable pin extending generally diametrically across said bore and adapted to secure the bottom end of said first link means.

9. A bubbler according to claim 8 including:

second link means connected to said valve operator portion of said cover and extending down through said bore for attachment of its lower end to a remote lower operator to permit operation of said valve by depressing said valve operator portion of said cover from above, and alternatively by pulling said second link means downwardly.

10. A bubbler according to claim 8 wherein:

said cart-ridge valve includes upwardly accessible flow regulator means.

No references cited.

EVERETT W. KIRBY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A WATER FOUNTAIN BUBBLER COMPRISING: A BASE INCLUDING INTERNAL PASSAGE MEANS FOR CONDUCTING WATER SUPPLIED TO SAID BASE TO AN OUTLET NOZZLE ON SAID BASE; A VALVE RECESSED IN SAID BASE CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF SAID WATER THROUGH SAID PASSAGE MEANS, SAID VALVE INCLUDING ACTUATOR MEANS OPERABLE FROM THE TOP SIDE OF SAID BASE; A COVER MOUNTED ON TOP OF SAID BASE, SAID COVER INCLUDING A LEVER PORTION CLOSELY OVERLYING SAID VALVE AND MOVABLE TO EFFECT OPERATION OF SAID VALVE; A NOZZLE-GUARD PORTION EXTENDING IN CANTILEVER FASHION OVER SAID NOZZLE; MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTING SAID COVER ON SAID TOP SIDE OF SAID BASE; AND MEANS LIMITING MOVEMENT OF SAID LEVER PORTION UPWARDLY FROM SAID TOP SIDE OF SAID BASE TO SUBSTANTIALLY PRECLUDE MALICIOUS ACCESS TO THE TOP SIDE OF SAID BASE COVERED BY SAID LEVER PORTION. 